ppt

1. Recent Developments in Cancer
and COVID-19
Part-II
By
Syed Tazib Rahaman
Team Nerdy Scientists

2. Mutations in SARS-CoV-2 offer insights into
virus evolution
• By analyzing virus genomes from over 7,500 people infected with COVID-
19, researchers have characterized patterns of diversity of SARS-CoV-2 virus
genome, offering clues to direct drugs and vaccine targets. The study
identified close to 200 recurrent genetic mutations in the virus, highlighting
how it may be adapting and evolving to its human hosts.
• The study, led by the UCL Genetics Institute, identified close to 200
recurrent genetic mutations in the virus, highlighting how it may be
adapting and evolving to its human hosts.
• Researchers found that a large proportion of the global genetic diversity of
SARS-CoV-2 is found in all hardest-hit countries, suggesting extensive global
transmission from early on in the epidemic and the absence of single
'Patient Zeroes' in most countries.

3. Small red blood cells could indicate cancer
• Having abnormally small red blood cells - a condition known as
microcytosis - could indicate cancer, according to new research.
• Medical Sciences student Rhain Hopkins was lead author of the study of
more than 12,000 UK patients aged over 40, which found that the cancer
risk in males was 6.2 per cent, compared to 2.7 per cent in those without
microcytosis.
• The research, funded by Cancer Research UK and NIHR and published in
BJGP, found that in females, the risk of cancer was 2.7 per cent in those
with microcytosis, compared to 1.4 per cent without.
• Of more than 108,000 followed within the Clinical Practice Research
Datalink records, 12,289 patients with microcytosis were followed up. Of
those, 497 developed cancer within a year.

4. Lymphatic vessels in mice and humans: Alike yet
different
• In an international collaboration, researchers have mapped the lymph node
lymphatic vessels in mice and humans down to the level of individual cells. The
results may eventually help scientists to discover new methods for strengthening
the immune system against viruses and cancer.
• The unique microenvironment of the lymph nodes plays an important role in
maintaining an efficient immune system. When we have an infection, the lymph
nodes swell and release activated white blood cells into the body through the
lymphatic vessels. It is important to understand how these vessels work if we are
to develop new drugs to improve the immune system; for example, new vaccines.
• Previous research has shown that the specialised cells that make the lymphatic
vessels, known as lymphatic endothelial cells, both communicate with white
blood cells and actively assist in regulating the immune system. Until now,
however, researchers have only understood the importance of a few of the genes
that control the versatility of these cells.

5. Family history misses identifying individuals
with high genetic risk of CVD or cancer
• Certain genetic changes, termed 'pathogenic variants,' substantially increase risk
for cardiovascular disease and cancer--the leading causes of death -- but testing
to identify individual carriers is not part of current clinical practice.
• Now a team led by investigators at Massachusetts General Hospital (MGH)
determined that nearly 1% of the population carry such pathogenic variants.
These individuals were at markedly increased risk and could not be reliably
identified based on family history.
• As reported in JAMA Network Open, the researchers studied 49,738 middle-aged
adults in the UK Biobank, which recruited individuals across the United Kingdom.
The study focused on three genetic conditions wherein, according to the U.S.
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, identifying individuals carrying
pathogenic variants can be particularly useful: familial hypercholesterolemia,
which predisposes to cardiovascular disease; hereditary breast and ovarian
cancer; and Lynch syndrome, which predisposes to colorectal and uterine
cancers.

6. New targets for childhood brain tumors identified
Neurons, immune cells work together to promote tumor growth in
neurofibromatosis type 1
• People with the genetic condition neurofibromatosis type 1 (NF1) are prone to
developing tumors on nervous system tissue. A new study has found that the
development and growth of such tumors are driven by nearby noncancerous
neurons and immune cells. The findings point to potential new therapeutic
targets for people with NF1.
• Children with the genetic condition neurofibromatosis type 1 (NF1) can develop
brain and nerve tumors. If a tumor develops within the optic nerve, which
connects the eye and the brain, the child may lose his or her vision.
• New research at Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis indicates
that the growth of these brain tumors is driven by nearby noncancerous neurons
and immune cells, and that targeting immune cells slows tumor growth in mice.
The findings, published May 1 in Nature Communications, point to new potential
treatments for low-grade brain tumors in people with NF1.

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